As someone who follows the climate topic for several years, I’ve to conclude that we are still far away from taking climate change seriously. Around 10 years ago there were rather minor groups of concerned scientists and bloggers, while the media was giving “a balanced view” to the so called deniersphere. This went on for…

Published on Feb 19, 2014: Jack Fishman explains how elevated ozone levels damage plants, affecting crop yields. Factors among ozone levels include, precipitation and temperature. Further studies found that yields present a consistent function depending on the ozone concentrations. Laboratory simulations suggest that the findings of the yield decline are a trend, which is projected…

ClimateProgress covered the jet stream connection on Monday: It will be unseasonably chilly in the eastern part of the United States this week, due to a peculiar weather pattern that’s causing deep waves in the jet stream. One of those big waves is bringing cool air down from the northeast Pacific and the Arctic. This…

The Guardian recently summarized the five keypoints of the new IPCC AR5 Impact Report. The world faces threat to food supply, conflicts over water rights and growing inequality. The only option to is cut emissions By Suzanne Goldenberg (The Guardian): 1. Food threat Climate change is already taking a sizeable chunk out of global food supply…

Mike Mann discusses his new piece in Scientific American, which outlines critical thresholds in climate warming in the not-too-far-off future, based on the sensitivity of Earth climate. Scientific American: Most scientists concur that two degrees C of warming above the temperature during preindustrial time would harm all sectors of civilization—food, water, health, land, national security, energy…

By Robert Scribbler: Food… Along with water and energy, which are related to its production, it is one of the key commodities necessary to keep the world’s 7.1 billion people alive, healthy and happy. Its price and availability can determine the fate of nations and the stability of the world’s economic system. Rising prices mean risk…

The Center for Climate & Security reports, by Caitlin Werrell & Francesco Femia: The U.S. Department of Defense just released its 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review. As the name implies, DoD releases this report every four years as a way of articulating its strategic direction. The opening sentence in Secretary Hagel’s introduction notes: “The 2014 Quadrennial…

We are facing issues of near-overwhelming complexity and unprecedented urgency. Can we think systematically and fashion policies accordingly? Can we move fast enough to avoid environmental decline and economic collapse? Can we change direction before we go over the edge? I will look at the economic future through and environmental lens to fashion a plan…